Patrick kennedy



(No Model.)

P. KENNEDY, Jr. PNEUMATTG SWITCH TOR PNBUMATTG DISPATCH TUBES. No. 406,446.

Patented July 9. 1889..

(N Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. KENNBDYNH. PNEUMATIG SWITCH TOR PNBUMATIG DISPATCH TUBES.

No. 406,446. Patented July 9, 1889.

NiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK KENNEDY, JR., OE BROOKLYN, NEV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND CHARLES J. DISS, OF SAME PLACE.

PNEUMATIC SWITCH FOR PNEUMATIC DISPATCH-TUBES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,446, dated July 9, 1889.

Application filed October 15, 1888. Serial No. 288,110. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, if, may concern.-

Be it known that I, PATRICK KENNEDY, Jr., of the city of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Devices for Operating Pneumatic Switches, of which the following is a specilication.

Pneumatic tubes for message-carriers have heretofore been constructed with switches to ro divert the path of the message-carrier, and

said switches have been operated by mechanical means; but such means as heretofore employed have not been entirelyl reliable, and have usually had to be operated at the spot i 5 where the switch was located.

My invention relates to devices for operating these pneumatic switches, which devices are operated yby compressed air and electricity, and can be directed and controlled at any 2o place from acentral station; and my improved devices consist in a piston which is operated by compressed air to move the pneumatic switch, and said piston operates a weighted arm, which arm is electrically controlled, and

in its turn operates the slide-valve of the compressed-air cylinder, so as to shift the saine, when desired, to give access to either side of the piston; and said electricalA devices consistof an electro-magnet and asliding spring- 3o catch which are adapted to hold andto relieve the weighted arm, as more particularly hereinafter set forth. i

In the drawings, Figure l is a cross-section ofthe pneumatic switch and my improved 3 5 operating mechanism, and Fig. 2is a sectional plan of the same. f

A A A2 represent the pneumatic tubes, through which the dispatch-carrier is projected in the usual manner, andB represents the pneumatic switch; and I have represented said switch as made with a ball-and-socket joint at C and with an air-tight collar C',

which collar C forms against the surface of the segment C2, connected to the pipes A and A2, an air-tight joint, said collar C being held against the segment by a spring C5.

D represents a tube, which may be of any length, and is supposed to be laid through the ground alongside of the pneumatic tubes 5o A A A2, and said tube D is strongly made and adapted to hold compressed air, and also serve as a conduit for electric wires, especially the electric wires necessary to operate my improved switch-operating mechanism.

E represents an air-cylinder, and E an airchest connected therewith, and F a tube connecting the air-chest to the tube D, whereby compressed air is admitted into the air-chest and cylinder, and said air-cylinder may be supported in any suitable manner and con- 6o tained within any suitable inclosure in proximity to the pneumatic switch to be operated.

At H, I have represented a frame-work having slideways l and 2. a represents a piston, and b a piston-rod,

the same bein gadapted to move in and through the air-cylinder E, the piston-rod at both sides of the cylinder passing through stuffing-boxes in the usual manner, and upon one end of the 7o piston-rod h is a yoke, to which the link c is pivotally connected, said link c also being pivotally connected to a yoke formed with the collare', which collar is secured to aand around the pneumatic switch-tube B, and upon 7 5 the other end of the piston-rod b there is a slide-block d, having right-angled projections d at itsl respective ends, and moving in the slideway l.

e represents the slide-valve in the air-chest 8o E', and the rod c passes through the stuffingbox in said air-chest, and is connected to the slide-valve e at one end, and upon the other end of said rod e is a slide-block f, having right-angled projecting ends f and adapted to move in the slideway 2.

h represents a vertically-placed arm, pivoted at 3 upon the side of the frame H, and having a circular end at I and a circular portion at 5, and a weight 6 at the upper end, the cir- 9o cular end 4 being adapted to come against the right-angled projections d of the slideblock d, and the circular portion 5 being adapted to engage the right-angled proj ections f of the slide-block f as the vertical arm h moves.

c' represents an electro-magnet secured upon the frame H, and c" a wire from said electromagnet, which wire passes into the tubes D F. Upon the frame H there are slideways lc, I oo and connecting said slideways is a cross-bar k', and there is a slide-block Z, which is adapted to move through the grooves of the slideway 7c, and I provide a helical spring m, one end of which is connected to a pin on the crossbar Za and the other end to a pin on t-he slideblock Z. One end et the slide-block is located a short distance away from the outer ends of the pole-pieces of the electro-magnet if; and the other end of the slide-block is notched at Z across :its face, and the vertical arm ZL is placed directlj7 in the path of the notch Z', so that at times said arm will rest in the notch at either side, a vertical line drawn through the pivot 3 of said arm coinciding' with the center of the notch Z. Then the electric current is pa-ssed through the wire 'i' and through the electro-magnet i, the slide-block Z, which is virtually the armature, is attracted toward the poles of the magnet, and should the arm 7L be in the notch of the block Z at this time the withdrawal of the slide-block will permit the arm 7L to fall either at one side or the other.

The operation of the parts is as follows: Presumin g said parts to be in the position shown in Figs. l and 2, the pneumatic switch B being in line with the pneumatic tubes A A2, the circular end si of the arm ZL touching one of the projections (Z, and being` held by the notched or latehed end of the slide-block Z, and it being desired to shift the pneumatic switch B into line with the tube A,this operation is accomplished as follows: The electric current is passed through the wire t" and electro-magnet t' and the slide-block Z is attracted to it, thus releasing the arm Zz., which falls over into the dotted position 7, Fig. l, and the electric current is then shunted, and the spring n returns the block Z to its normal position.

. The circular portion 5 as the arm Z1, falls strikes the projection f and moves the rod c and shifts the slide-valve e.. Compressed air is now applied through the tubes D F and airchest E to the back of the piston A, and said piston is moved through the length of the cylinder E, moving with it the piston-rod Z), the link c,and shifting the pneumatic switch B into alignment with the tube A. This operation brings one proj ection (Z of the slideblock (Z against the circular end 4 and raises the weighted arm 7L and engages the same with the notched or latched end of the slide-block Zinto the dotted position S. It' it is desired to again bring the pneumatic switch B into alignment with the tube A2, the electric current is again sent through the wire 'z and electro-magnet t and the block Z is drawn toward said magnet, and this releases the vert-ical arm Z1., so that the same will fall in the direction of the arrow, and in its fall strike against the other projection f of the slide-block f and shift the rod c and slide-valve @back into the position shown in Fig. l, in which position compressed air through the pipes l) F and air-chest E will shift the piston a, its rod Z), the link c, and the pneumatic tube B back into the position shown in the drawings, and this movement of the piston-rod Z) will bring one projection LZ against the circular end -land raise and again latch the vertical arm Zt in the slide-block Z, so that the operations just described can be repeated indefinitely.

My improved pneumatic-switch-operating mechanism is automatic, and adapted to be operated by electricity and compressed air at any distance from a given point, and the same is simple in construction and effective in op eration.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination, with the pneumatic tubes and a switch, of an air-cylinder and its piston-rod adapted to be operated by compressed air, and a weighted pivoted arm opera-ted by the piston-rod and electrically controlled and adapted to shift the slide-valve of the air-cylinder, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with pneumatic tubes and a switch, an air-cylinder, its chest, pistonrod, and slide-valve, of the frame having slideways, slide-blocks having right-angled projecting ends, and connected, respectively, to the piston-rod and rod of the slide-valve, and a weighted arm moving in a vertical plane and electrically controlled and operated by the piston-rod and adapted by its movement to shift the slide-valve, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with pneumatic tubes and a switch, of the piston and piston-rod connected to the switch and adapted to be operated by compressed air, the slide-blocks (Z andfand their projections (Z and f and slideways for the same, a vertical weighted pivoted arm Zz, having a circular end et and a circular portion 5, the electro-magnet v2', the slideblock Z, having a notched outer end adapted to engage the arm 7e, and a spring m, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the pneumatic tubes and a switch, of an air-cylinder and its piston-rod adapted to be operated by compressed air, a slide-valve and rod, and a pivoted arm electrically controlled and adapted to shift the slide-valve and rod, substantially as specified.

5. The combination,with pneumatic'tubes, a switch and a cylinder for compressed air, and mechanism connected with said cylinder for operating said switch, of an electro-magnet t', a slide-block Z, havin g a notched end and acting as an armature moving in one direction, a spring for moving the slide-block in the reverse direction, and with mechanism, substantially as set forth, engaging the notched end of the slide-block, and adapted by its release from said slid e-block to operate the slidevalve of the air-chest, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 2d day of October, 18%.

PATRICK KENNEDY, JR. iVitnesses:

Gno. T. PINCKNEY, WILLIAM G. Mo'r'r.

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